PlantLegitConnecticut: invasive & noxious plant laws
Connecticut General Statutes § 22a-381d bars anyone from importing, moving, selling, purchasing, transplanting, cultivating or distributing the listed invasive plants or their reproductive parts (seeds, flowers, roots, tubers). Exceptions cover moving for eradication, research or education and cultivating for research. Violations carry a fine of up to $100 per plant, and towns may not adopt their own ordinances on retail sale of invasive plants. 2024 and 2025 amendments phase in more species: callery pear on Oct 1, 2027; glossy and European buckthorn, reed canary grass, winged euonymus, European privet, black locust, miscanthus and Japanese barberry on Oct 1, 2028; Norway maple on Oct 1, 2030.
Official sources
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d (2026 Supplement, ch. 446i)
- Federal Noxious Weed List, 7 CFR § 360.200 (USDA APHIS) — applies in every state
Prohibited invasive plant (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d) — no import, move, sale, purchase, transplanting, cultivation or distribution (87)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|---|
| Potamogeton crispus | Curly leaved Pondweed |
| Cabomba caroliniana | fanwort |
| Myriophyllum spicatum | eurasian water milfoil |
| Myriophyllum heterophyllum | variable water milfoil |
| Trapa natans | water chestnut |
| Egeria densa | egeria |
| Hydrilla verticillata | hydrilla |
| Berberis vulgaris | common barberry |
| Elaeagnus umbellata | autumn olive |
| Lonicera x bella | Bell's honeysuckle |
| Lonicera maackii | amur honeysuckle |
| Lonicera morrowii | Morrow's honeysuckle |
| Rhamnus cathartica | common buckthorn |
| Rosa multiflora | multiflora rose |
| Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental bittersweet |
| Alliaria petiolata | garlic mustard |
| Cardamine impatiens | narrowleaf bittercress |
| Centaurea biebersteinii (syn. C. stoebe ssp. micranthos) | spotted knapweed |
| Cynanchum louiseae | black swallow-wort |
| Cynanchum rossicum | pale swallow-wort |
| Euphorbia esula | leafy spurge |
| Hesperis matronalis | Dame's rocket |
| Lepidium latifolium | perennial pepperweed |
| Polygonum cuspidatum (syn. Reynoutria japonica) | Japanese knotweed |
| Polygonum perfoliatum (syn. Persicaria perfoliata) | mile-a-minute vine |
| Ranunculus ficaria (syn. Ficaria verna) | fig buttercup |
| Tussilago farfara | coltsfoot |
| Microstegium vimineum | Japanese stilt grass |
| Phragmites australis | common reed |
| Acer pseudoplatanus | sycamore maple |
| Paulownia tomentosa | princess tree |
| Populus alba | white poplar |
| Amorpha fruticosa | false indigo |
| Elaeagnus angustifolia (statute spells "Eleagnus") | Russian olive |
| Rubus phoenicolasius | wineberry |
| Pueraria montana | kudzu |
| Cirsium arvense | Canada thistle |
| Datura stramonium | jimsonweed |
| Elsholtzia ciliata | crested late-summer mint |
| Euphorbia cyparissias | Cypress spurge |
| Froelichia gracilis | slender snake cotton |
| Glechoma hederacea | ground ivy |
| Heracleum mantegazzianum | giant hogweed |
| Humulus japonicus | Japanese hops |
| Impatiens glandulifera (statute spells "glanulifera") | ornamental jewelweed |
| Kochia scoparia (now Bassia scoparia) | common kochia |
| Lychnis flos-cuculi | ragged robin |
| Onopordum acanthium | Scotch thistle |
| Polygonum caespitosum | bristle knotweed |
| Polygonum sachalinense (syn. Reynoutria sachalinensis) | giant knotweed |
| Rumex acetosella | sheep sorrel |
| Senecio jacobaea | ragwort |
| Silphium perfoliatum | cup plant |
| Solanum dulcamara | bittersweet nightshade |
| Valeriana officinalis | garden heliotrope |
| Arthraxon hispidus | hairy jointgrass |
| Bromus tectorum | drooping brome-grass |
| Carex kobomugi | Japanese sedge |
| Glyceria maxima | reed managrass |
| Poa compressa | Canada bluegrass |
| Ailanthus altissima | tree of heaven |
| Ornithogalum umbellatum | star of Bethlehem |
| Lythrum salicaria | Purple loosestrife |
| Myosotis scorpioides | forget-me-not |
| Lonicera japonica | Japanese honeysuckle |
| Aegopodium podagraria (statute spells "podagraia") | goutweed |
| Butomus umbellatus | flowering rush |
| Callitriche stagnalis | pond water-starwort |
| Marsilea quadrifolia | European waterclover |
| Myriophyllum aquaticum | parrotfeather |
| Najas minor | brittle water-nymph |
| Nelumbo lutea | American water lotus |
| Nymphoides peltata | yellow floating heart |
| Rorippa microphylla | onerow yellowcress |
| Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum | watercress |
| Salvinia molesta | giant salvinia |
| Iris pseudacorus | yellow iris |
| Ligustrum obtusifolium | border privet |
| Lonicera tatarica | tatarian honeysuckle |
| Lonicera xylosteum | dwarf honeysuckle |
| Lysimachia vulgaris | garden loosetrife |
| Ampelopsis brevipedunculata | Porcelainberry — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
| Artemisia vulgaris | mugwort — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
| Elymus repens | quackgrass — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
| Aralia elata | Japanese angelica tree — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
| Wisteria floribunda | Japanese wisteria — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
| Wisteria sinensis | Chinese wisteria — prohibited since Oct 1, 2024 |
Scheduled prohibition (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-381d(b)(3)–(5)) — legal to sell until the date shown (10)
| Scientific name | Common name / notes |
|---|---|
| Pyrus calleryana | callery pear — prohibited from Oct 1, 2027 |
| Frangula alnus | Glossy buckthorn — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Rhamnus cathartica | European buckthorn — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Phalaris arundinacea | reed canary grass — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Euonymus alatus | winged euonymus — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Ligustrum vulgare | European privet — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | black locust — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Miscanthus sinensis | miscanthus — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Berberis thunbergii | Japanese barberry — prohibited from Oct 1, 2028 |
| Acer platanoides | Norway maple — prohibited from Oct 1, 2030 |
Check plants against Connecticut law →
Informational only, not legal advice. Lists change; always check the official source linked above before you buy, sell, plant or move a plant. Lists checked 2026-10-14.